What is cross-contamination in a food service setting?

• A. The transfer of flavors between dishes during simultaneous service.
• B. The transfer of pathogens from raw or contaminated foods to ready-to-eat foods.
• C. The growth of bacteria in a sealed container.
• D. The cooking of foods to safe temperatures.

Answer: (B)

Cross-contamination means harmful microbes are transferred from raw or contaminated foods to ready-to-eat foods, surfaces, or equipment. This can happen when hands, utensils, cutting boards, or countertops used for raw foods touch foods that won’t be cooked or won’t be cooked further, and proper cleaning steps aren’t followed. For example, handling raw chicken and then touching salad or lettuce without washing hands or sanitizing surfaces can move pathogens onto ready-to-eat items. This concept is about the transfer of microbes, not about flavor transfer, bacterial growth in a sealed container, or cooking to safe temperatures (which is a control step, not the transfer itself).